Aaron Finch says opening partner David Warner can set the tone for Australia’s summer

David Warner was the first player born into T20 superstardom, but Aaron Finch says his opening partner has gone to another level from the brash sensation who first hit the scene 11 years ago.

David Warner led the way for Australia in their T20 series against Sri Lanka. Picture: AAP

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Aaron Finch believes David Warner’s T20 form surge can flick the switch for Australia’s unproven Test match top order.

Warner was the first player born into Twenty20 superstardom, but captain Finch says his opening partner has gone to another level from the brash sensation who first hit the scene 11 years ago.

The 33-year-old came into the summer under some pressure after a below par Ashes campaign, but his incredible Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka, where he was not dismissed in the three innings for scores of 100, 60 and 57 has the left-hand destroyer back in business.

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David Warner led the way for Australia in their T20 series against Sri Lanka. Picture: AAP

Australia starts a three-match T20 series against Pakistan on Sunday at the SCG, but in two weeks’ time the two sides will go head-to-head in a Test series – a big test for the maturity of Tim Paine’s team following a long campaign in England.

Finch says Warner is so dominant at the top of the order he is the type of player that can set the tone for the rest of the Test team.

With the exception of Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Wade, Australia’s batsmen struggled during the Ashes, but Warner’s electric rush of runs has the potential to bring the rest of the top six along with him – in all formats.

“He had a difficult Ashes, there’s no secret to that, but the confidence he gives to the group when he’s playing well is huge,” said Finch.

“The way that rubs off on other batters, because it’s such a simple game plan, simple messaging back to other players about how he goes about his innings.

“Especially for some inexperienced guys in the squad it’s a great learning curve for them to be able to have him and Steve (Smith) around, and myself. We’ve all played a lot of T20 cricket around the world so it’s a nice balance in the side now that we’ve got that youth and experience.

Aaron Finch says Warner gives the rest of the team huge confidence when he’s batting well.

“(Warner) has been very impressive these last couple of games. The way that he’s managed his innings. Not just getting off to a flyer but then to keep going.

“The way he’s going through the gears as a T20 batter is pretty good. If you look at him over the last four years in T20, it’s been remarkable.

“From IPLs to internationals, the way he constructs an innings is totally different to when he started playing T20. It’s just a bloody great way to go about it and the consistency he’s had in all conditions proves how valuable he is to a side.

“… You look at the way that when he gets runs he wins games for his team – whether it’s Australia, Hyderabad, wherever he plays.

“When he performs the teams win, and that’s such a huge asset.”

Twenty20 cricket has until recently been underrated by many as the ‘hit and giggle’ format of the game.

Warner was unstoppable against Sri Lanka

But Finch says Warner has been at the forefront of dispelling that myth, as he shows the nuance and thought that can go into making every ball at the crease count.

“I think (it’s come with) understanding your game a little more at T20,” said Finch.

“At times you can almost plan your innings a bit in your head and almost forget to play each bowler, each ball, as it comes.

“Sometimes you can get in the mode of getting in one gear and trying to keep going as hard as you can. The way that he structures his innings and identifies the targets that match up well to him has been crucial to that.

“He’s the first picked in any T20 side.

“His World Cup was outstanding, his one-day cricket for a lot of years has been extraordinary so there was definitely no issues going into this series or the summer altogether. He’s a world-class player and will get the job done more often than not.”

Originally published as Aaron Finch says opening partner David Warner can set the tone for Australia’s summer